The present invention pertains to vehicles's doors and particularly to mechanism by which the doors can be closed using a foot actuated pedal.
Some modern vehicles, particularly two-door vehicles, have relatively large doors which typically swing wide open to a detented position for ingress and egress. When the vehicle operator or passenger sits in the vehicle, reaching the door handle to pull the door shut, can be somewhat difficult, particularly for persons of diminutive stature. Vehicles such as a 1990, two-door Lincoln Continental for example, will when the door is fully open, require a significant reach to grasp the door pulling handle. The door itself is very sturdy, somewhat heavy and therefore requires a significant pulling force while reaching out to close.
In the past, there has been provided linkage and cylinder mechanisms used for example on busses and other commercial vehicles for providing closure of a door which is difficult for the vehicle operator to reach. Also, systems have been proposed providing cylinders or motors for closing doors. U.S. Pat. No. 1,806,488 discloses a vehicle operator actuated pedal and link system for opening and closing a passenger door of a vehicle.
Such prior art construction is not usable in today's modern vehicles for a variety of reasons including the cost of the multiple linkage, motor driven or pneumatic systems involved. The bulk and weight of such structure is incongruous with today's vehicle construction and also such systems lack the esthetic appeal necessary in modern vehicle designs.